Houston METRO launches six new light rail cars

 
،TIN news:        Texas-based Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) has launched six new light rail cars at the Downtown Transit Center (DTC) Southbound platform in Houston, US.
 
Construcciones y Auxilliar de Ferrocarriles's subsidiary CAF USA secured a $153m in 2011 contract to deliver the new H3 cars to serve across the METRORail system.
 
Other CAF vehicles are due to be launched in April 2015 for two new METRORail East/Green and South-east/Purple Lines.
 
The new units will give METRO enough rail cars to stage double-car service for five days a week.
"METRORail features 16 conveniently situated rail stations, with a total of 18 vehicles."
 
The H3 (CAF) cars join 19 H2 and 18 H1 (Siemens S70) cars already serving the North and Main St (Red) Lines.
 
METRORail will have 76 cars in operation once the 39 CAF H3 vehicles have been delivered.
 
Approximately 12.8 million boardings were recorded on METRORail in 2014 and 122 million boardings have been recorded since services started in 2004.
 
The public transit provider, which operates more than 1,200 buses, is currently expanding its 13-mile Red Line with two new lines under construction.
 
METRORail features 16 conveniently situated rail stations, with a total of 18 vehicles.
 
Communities that are part of the METRO area include the cities of Houston, Bellaire, Bunker Hill Village, El Lago, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Humble, Hunters Creek, Katy, Missouri City, Piney Point, Southside Place, Spring Valley, Taylor Lake Village and West University Place.